Bambu Lab ABS vs Polymaker PolyLite ABS

Who this comparison is for

This page is for anyone choosing between these two specific products: Bambu Lab ABS in Black (40101) as a 1 kg refill without a spool, and Polymaker PolyLite ABS in Black (SKU PE01001), 1 kg on a cardboard spool, both 1.75 mm. Amazon titles the Polymaker spool "Polymaker ABS," but Polymaker's store calls it PolyLite ABS. The Amazon listing for the Bambu refill reports a model number that doesn't match Bambu's color code, so check the color and "refill" on the listing before you buy. If you're still deciding between ABS and ASA, start with our ABS vs ASA guide. For more ABS brands, see the ABS filament shortlist, and for other ABS comparisons, ELEGOO ABS vs Creality Hyper ABS and eSUN ABS+ vs Overture ABS.

How we compared them

This is a research-based comparison. Every figure below comes from the makers' own data sheets, product pages, and wikis, listed in the sources. We haven't tested either filament, so nothing here is a measured result of ours. Where a maker describes its own product, such as "minimal odor" or reduced warping, we label it as the maker's claim.

We only put numbers side by side where both makers publish the same kind of value under the same named test standard. Where they don't, or where the test setups differ, we say so rather than force a comparison.

Side-by-side specs

Temperatures, speed, and build plate

The nozzle windows overlap at 245–265 °C. Bambu's runs 5 °C wider at each end. Both makers printed their test specimens at 260 °C. Polymaker's product page also recommends, though doesn't require, an all-metal hotend that can reach 250 °C or more. The bed ranges share 90–100 °C, and Bambu's goes down to 80 °C. Bambu's filament guide lists 90–100 °C for ABS on all three of its compatible plates, and says the Cool Plate isn't recommended for ABS. Its store page adds that Bambu ABS isn't compatible with the Cool Plate SuperTack.

Glue is part of both setups. Bambu's data sheet lists glue as the bed preparation. Polymaker lists glue when needed, says on its product page to use an adhesive as a release layer and let the plate cool before removing the part, and suggests Magigoo or BuildTak.

The speed guidance doesn't settle cleanly. Bambu's data sheet gives a print speed under 300 mm/s and says Bambu ABS suits high-speed printing "because of its good flow behavior." Its store page also tells you to set a lower speed and a higher bed temperature to fight warping. Polymaker's pages disagree with each other. The data sheet and the product page's printing tips give 50–200 mm/s, while the product page's print settings give 30–50 mm/s and its Technical Specifications panel shows "Max Speed 50 mm/s." We can't tell which Polymaker means as the current figure, so we list all three. Neither maker defines its figure the same way, so read these as each maker's guidance, not as a race.

Enclosure, chamber heat, and ventilation

Both makers say to print in an enclosure, though Polymaker's FAQ makes an exception for small parts, and Bambu's filament guide marks ABS as not recommended on open-frame printers. They describe the heat differently.

• Bambu Lab ABS. The data sheet lists a chamber temperature of 45–60 °C. The store page says "Enclosure Printers Required," and its warping tips say not to print models that are too large or too dense, to use an enclosed printer, and to glue the plate.
• Polymaker PolyLite ABS. The data sheet lists a closure chamber as "Needed (ambient temperature)," and the product page asks for an "enclosure that can trap ambient air and keep it hot." Its FAQ is more specific. A non-enclosed printer with a 90 °C bed and a 260 °C nozzle "can handle models smaller than fist size." Bigger prints need an enclosed printer at about 40–50 °C, and models bigger than about 15–20 cm in any direction need an actively heated chamber of about 70 °C or more.

Many enclosed printers don't actively heat the chamber, so check what yours is documented to reach before planning a large ABS part. Our enclosure planning guide covers heat and exhaust, and our warping guide covers what to try when corners lift.

An enclosure keeps heat in, but it doesn't deal with fumes. Bambu's store page warns that at printing temperatures this filament "may release harmful gases, including styrene, which can cause dizziness or nausea." It recommends a well-ventilated area or an effective air filtration or exhaust system, and a mask with a vapor filter, such as an activated carbon mask, for extended operation. Bambu's data sheet lists the odor as "Odorless," but its own store page says "pungent and unpleasant odors may be released during printing," so plan around the store page's warning. Polymaker says PolyLite ABS uses a bulk-polymerized resin with "significantly lower volatile content" than traditional ABS, for "minimal odor." That's Polymaker's claim, with no emissions figures on the product page, and its printing tips still say to print with "good ventilation."

Strength and heat figures: same standards, different specimens

Both data sheets name the same standards: ISO 527 for tensile, ISO 178 for bending, ISO 179 for impact, ISO 75 for heat deflection, ISO 306 for Vicat, and ISO 1183 for density. The specimens weren't prepared the same way, though. Bambu printed at 260 °C on an 80 °C bed at 200 mm/s with 100% infill, and annealed and dried all its specimens at 80 °C for 12 hours before testing. It doesn't state a chamber temperature. Polymaker printed at 260 °C on a 90 °C bed in a 90 °C environment, with two shells, three top and bottom layers, 100% infill, and the fan off. It doesn't state a print speed or any annealing. Annealing and chamber heat both change ABS results, especially heat figures, so these are each maker's figures, not a head-to-head.

The tensile figures sit close together. The heat figures don't, with Polymaker's 10–14 °C higher, but Bambu annealed its bars and Polymaker printed its bars in a 90 °C environment, so we can't say how much of that gap is the material. Bambu's store page quotes 87 °C as its heat deflection temperature, which is the 0.45 MPa figure. The 1.8 MPa figure is 84 °C.

Bambu also publishes Z-direction bending figures, 1590 ± 100 MPa modulus and 39 ± 4 MPa strength, which Polymaker lists as N/A. Polymaker publishes a glass transition of 101 °C, which Bambu lists as N/A.

We left three figures out. Bambu's X-Y impact row gives a second value, 39.3 ± 3.6 kJ/m², without saying whether the bar was notched, and its Z impact figure, 7.4 ± 1.2 kJ/m², is unlabelled too. Polymaker gives no Z impact figure. Melt index uses different conditions, 260 °C for Bambu and 220 °C for Polymaker. Water absorption isn't like for like either. Bambu gives a 0.65% saturated rate at 25 °C and 55% RH, and Polymaker gives a 0.35% equilibrium figure.

Spools, refills, and the AMS

This Bambu listing is a refill, a coil of filament with no spool. Bambu's store page says "The refill needs to be used with a spool." Bambu's reusable spool guide lists two types. The low-temperature spool is ABS, rated to 70 °C, and is listed for PLA and PETG only. The high-temperature spool is ABS+PC, rated to 90 °C, and is listed for ABS among other materials. So for this refill you need the high-temperature spool. Bambu's ABS data sheet lists its spool as PC + ABS, rated to 90 °C, 200 mm across and 67 mm high. That fits the AMS's documented spool range of 50–68 mm wide and 197–202 mm in diameter.

Bambu's store page lists Bambu ABS as compatible with the AMS, AMS 2 Pro, and AMS HT, and "NOT Compatible" with the AMS lite. Its filament guide says "Not Recommended" for the AMS lite. The store page also says ABS print settings are embedded in an RFID tag the AMS reads. It doesn't explain on that page how the tag is supplied with a refill.

Polymaker ships PolyLite ABS on cardboard. It moved all its filaments to recycled cardboard spools in 2021, with 4 mm pressed cardboard faces, and its FAQ answers "Will the spools work in an AMS?" with "Yes! We have redesigned the edges of our spools so all Polymaker products will now spin great in the AMS." Bambu's own AMS notes "strongly advise" a spool adapter or adapter ring for cardboard spools, to reduce slippage and debris. Polymaker doesn't publish the spool's dimensions on the product page, and says it doesn't sell refills.

Drying and storage

Bambu's filament guide marks drying ABS as recommended rather than required, but both makers give drying settings, and they're far apart.

• Bambu Lab ABS. The data sheet gives 80 °C for 8 hours in a blast drying oven, or 90–100 °C for 12 hours on an X1 Series heatbed, plus printing and storage below 20% RH, sealed with desiccant. Bambu's filament guide gives 80 °C for 8 hours in an AMS HT, and says drying ABS in the AMS 2 Pro isn't recommended. The data sheet warns that a microwave or kitchen oven isn't suitable.
• Polymaker PolyLite ABS. The data sheet and product page give 70 °C for 6 hours, and the product page adds "Only if the material has absorbed moisture."

The heatbed figure, 90–100 °C, is at or above the 90 °C rating Bambu gives its high-temperature spool, so follow Bambu's drying instructions for how to set that up. A cardboard spool may not suit every dryer at Polymaker's 70 °C, so check your dryer's limits. Our filament dryer vs dry box guide covers the options.

What each maker says it's for

• Bambu Lab ABS. Bambu says it's "designed to reduce warping and cracking but maintain outstanding impact resistance," and "stronger than normal PLA and PETG," for functional parts, prototypes, and engineering components. The store page says it holds up to impacts "even at low temperatures." Bambu's data sheet suggests annealing prints at 80–90 °C for 6–12 hours, and warns that some prints may deform.
• Polymaker PolyLite ABS. Polymaker calls it "Low-Odor, Heat Resistant, and High Performance," for functional parts, enclosures, and prototypes. It says PolyLite ABS can be smoothed with acetone, and warns that acetone "is a dangerous chemical."

Bambu Lab

Bambu Lab Bambu ABS (Black (40101), 1.75 mm, 1 kg refill (no spool))

Best for

Bambu Lab enclosed-printer owners who want ABS with Bambu's tuned profiles and a reusable spool.

Skip this if

You don't have a reusable Bambu spool or an enclosed printer.

Specs, strengths, and limitations

Material

ABS

Diameter

1.75 mm

Net filament

1000 g (filament only, not packaged weight)

Format

refill

Maker's nozzle range

240–270 °C

Strengths

• Manufacturer states Bambu ABS is designed to reduce warping and cracking while keeping strong impact resistance.
• TDS lists print speeds under 300 mm/s and nozzle sizes from 0.2 to 0.8 mm.
• Manufacturer publishes a full TDS with drying, annealing, and mechanical data.

Limitations

• Bambu Lab's store page says enclosed printers are required and recommends a well-ventilated area or air filtration, warning that it may release styrene at printing temperatures.
• Refill only: it needs a reusable spool to load in an AMS or on a spool holder.
• TDS calls for glue on the build plate.

View on Amazon ↗ (opens Amazon in a new tab)Details checked 2026-10-06 against the manufacturer. Price and availability are on Amazon.

Polymaker

Polymaker PolyLite ABS (Black, 1.75 mm, 1 kg)

Best for

Heat-resistant functional parts, enclosures, and prototypes printed on an enclosed printer.

Skip this if

Your printer is open-frame or its bed can't reach 90 °C.

Specs, strengths, and limitations

Material

ABS

Diameter

1.75 mm

Net filament

1000 g (filament only, not packaged weight)

Format

cardboard spool

Maker's nozzle range

245–265 °C

Strengths

• Manufacturer states PolyLite ABS uses a bulk-polymerized ABS resin with significantly lower volatile content than traditional ABS, for minimal odor.
• TDS lists a heat deflection temperature of 98 °C at 1.8 MPa.
• Manufacturer publishes a full TDS with mechanical, thermal, and drying data.

Limitations

• TDS lists a closed chamber as 'Needed'. Polymaker's product page says a non-enclosed printer with a 90 °C bed and 260 °C nozzle can handle models smaller than fist size, larger prints need an enclosed printer (about 40–50 °C), and models over about 15–20 cm need a heated chamber (about 70 °C or more).
• Needs a 90–100 °C bed (TDS), so printers with low-temperature beds aren't suitable.
• Cardboard spool: Bambu Lab strongly advises a spool adapter or adapter ring for cardboard spools in the AMS.

View on Amazon ↗ (opens Amazon in a new tab)Details checked 2026-10-06 against the manufacturer. Price and availability are on Amazon.

Verdict: which should you buy?

Choose Bambu Lab ABS if…

• You print on an enclosed Bambu Lab printer with an AMS, AMS 2 Pro, or AMS HT, and already have, or will buy, a high-temperature reusable spool.
• You want a data sheet that lists a chamber range, four nozzle sizes, and a print speed under 300 mm/s.
• You want annealing guidance from the maker.

Choose Polymaker PolyLite ABS if…

• You want a spool you can load without buying a reusable spool, and you're fine with cardboard.
• You want size-based guidance on when ABS needs an enclosure or a heated chamber.
• You want a maker that says its resin has lower volatile content, while still ventilating the room.

Safety and limits

How this page was checked

Every temperature, speed, drying setting, spool detail, and test figure above comes from the manufacturer documents in the sources section, retrieved on 2026-10-09. We haven't printed with either filament for this page, so nothing here is a measured result of ours. Polymaker's data sheet file is named V5.4, but the document is headed V5.5. Polymaker's data sheet columns don't extract in line with their row labels, so we matched each value to its row and test method by position and checked them against the product page's property panel. Polymaker's product page disagrees with its data sheet on speed, and Bambu's data sheet and store page disagree on odor, and we've said which we followed. Values vary by color and revision, so check the current data sheet for your spool. Read more in our editorial standards and affiliate disclosure.

ABS: what to check before you buy a spool ↗